Stuffing box



Oct. 21, 1947. c. J. OAKES 2,429,562

STUFFING BOX Filed Jan. 3, 1946 6 INVENTOR.

Carl cf Uaks i BY I a vZ/mdm ATTORMEIG atented etc 23,194?

G BOX dlarl .i. flakes, Decatur, n1.

Application Eanuary 5, 1946, Serial No. 639,235

My invention is concerned with improvements in a stufing box adapted to provide a tight Joint between a rotatabieshaft and a housing or casing which carries the shaft.

It is an object or my invention to provide a stumng box which is particularly adapted for providing a seal between the housing and the shaft of a centrifugal pump conveying aqueous suspensions of gritty material under high pressure but which may be used wherever a seal between a rotating shaft and its supporting housing is required.

Another object of m invention is to provide a tumng box comprising tapered packing rings surrounded by an adapter and an adjustable nut which when screwed into the open end of the adapter tightens the packing rings on the shaft.

Another object of my invention is to provide in a stufiing box construction a sealing collar rotatable with a shaft, a stationary sealing ring which fits the shaft and an adjustable screw for orcing the sealing ring into an annular recess ut in the face of the rotating collar to provide an adjustable seal between the collar and the sealing ring.

Another object of my invention is to provide a stufflng box comprising packing rings and an adapter therefor provided with an oil slot for supplying oil to the rings wherein circumferenthat oil grooves and radial holes are provided in the rings to conduct the oil to the surface of the shaft in contact with the rings.

Another object of my invention is to provide a stumng box assembly comprising packing rings, an adapter surrounding the rings, a sealing bushing'and common means for anchoring the assembly in a stationery housing through which a shaft extends and for adjustably forcing the assembly along the shaft toward a sealing collar on the shaft to take up wear between the sealing ring and the sealing collar.

It is a further object of my invention to pro vide in a stumng box construction a sealing collar attached to the rotating shaft and having spaced radially directed lon itudinal grooves on the face thereof in combination with a stationary sealing rin surrounding the shaft with one end reccived inn recess in the sealing collar and means tor adjusting the sealing ring longitudinally of the strait.

it is a hut-her object of my invention to provide a s umog box construction which insures positive lubrication of the shaft without leakage of oil outside or the which eliminates scoring of the shaft due to ins-fhcxent lubrication;

which is easily maintained without requiring frequent shutdowns for re-packing or repairing and which may be inexpensively manufactured.

These and other objects will be apparent from a description of the preferred embodiment of my invention, which is shown, by way of illustration, in the accompanying drawings, wherein;

Fig. l is a. generally horizontal section taken on line ll of Fig. 4 showing my stufilng box installed on a centrifugal pump shaft;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of 'a part of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a section on the line E@ of Fig. 1.

My invention is illustrated in the drawings, by way of example, as'installed on the shaft it of a centrifugal pump, a portion of the casing of which is indicated at H, Portions of the impeller l 2 and other pump structure are indicated in dotted line in Fig. -l.

The pump casing or wall H is provided with an aperture or bore IS in which the major portion of the stumng box is arranged surrounding the shaft Ill, which extends through thabore l8 into the pump. The shaft 10 is providevfie with a sealing collar or throw ring I 4 which is secured thereto by a set screw l5 or any other conventional securing means. The sealing collar It, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, is provided with a frusto conical or inwardly tapered outer surface in which there are spaced radially directed recesses l6 which tend to throw the liquid in the pump away from the sealing collar It by centrifugal force. The collar It is arranged with the outer end in abutting relation with the inner end or surface ll of the pump'casing ll, and a recess I8 is provided in the outer end of the collar It for receiving the inner end of a sealing ring or bushing it which surrounds the shaft and extends into the bore l3 of the pump casing I i.

A packing ring adapter 20 having a frustoconical or tapered inner surface 2! and a cylindrical outer surface 22 is positioned in the bore l3 surrounding the shaft is outwardly of the bushing it. A pin 23 seated in holes is and 25 in the bushing 59 and the adapter 20 connects the two members in non-rotatable relation. A plurality of packing rings 26 are received within the adapter 29 surrounding the shaft Ill. Each of these packing rings 26 is provided with an inner cylindrical surface 21 and an outer tapered or irusto-conlcal surface 28. The rings 26 are split as shown at 29 in Fig. 3 and the outer frusto-conical surfaces 25 thereof cooperate with the box requires.

tapered inner surface 2| of the adapter whereby axial movement of the rings within the adapter 20 compresses the rings 28 andmoves their inner surfaces 21 toward the surface of the shaft Ill. The adapter 20 is provided with an adjusting nut 30 having internal threaded engagement with the outer end of adapter to at 3|. By screwing up the adjusting nut 30 so that its inner edge 32 applies pressure to the.outer one of the rings 26 the rings 26 may be moved inwardly of the adapter 20.

Each of the rings 26 is provided on its outer surface 28 with a circumferential oil groove 33 which is connected by means-of radial holes 34 with the inner surface 21 of the ring. The adapter 20 is provided with a longitudinal oil slot 25 and a cooperating communicating slot 36 is provided in the pump casing I I so that oil may be supplied to the oil grooves 33 in the packing rings 26 and through the holes 34 to the surface of shaft I0.

The pump casing I I is provided with a threaded aperture 31 and receives therein an adjusting screw 38 the end 39 of which may be projected into the bore I3 and into a recess 40 provided in the adapter 20. Each of the rings 26 is provided with an external bead 4| which cooperates with a groove 42 in the adapter 20 to non-rotatably anchor the rings 26 in the adapter 20. By means of this arrangement the packing assembly which consists of the bushing I9, the packing ring adapter 20 and the packing rings 26 may be nonrotatably anchored in the bore II and adjusted inwardly on the shaft III to hold the inner end of the bushing is in close frictional engagement with the throw ring I4 and take up any wear between these members. The adjusting screw 3| may be arranged at any point around the circumference of the shaft. The longitudinal oil slot should be positioned above the top of the shaft It so that it will provide a reservoir for the oil supplied to the packing rings 26.

While various materials may be utilized in the construction of the elements of my stuffing box, I prefer to construct the packing rings 26 of babbitt or lead. In general any metal softer than the shaft may be used for these members. The tapered ring adapter 20 and the adjusting nut 30 therefor may be made of any strong and readily machinable metal. The bushing I9 is preferably constructed of bronze but it may b made of any metal somewhat softer than the collar I4 and the shaft in but not so soft as the packing rings 28. The throw ring or collar I 4 may be made of the same metal as the rotatable shaft III.

While my stufling box is particularly adapted for rotatable shafts of apparatus such as centrifugal pumps, it may also be used in such equipment as steam turbines, propeller shafts of boats, or the like. It will withstand considerable pressure and temperature when used with liquid handling equipment. It is adapted to various types of shafts and has no particular size or rotational speed limitations. When used on centrifugal pump installations it has been found to give more satisfactory service than any other type of stuffing box which has been used. It does not score the pump shaft, it requires only infrequent attention and operates for a relatively long time without re-packin'g or replacement ofthe rings.

I claim:

1. A- packing construction for providing a seal between two relatively rotatable members, one of said members. being provided with an aperture through which the other member extends, packing rings positioned in the aperture in said one member, a sleeve surrounding said packing rings, means to compress said packing rings in said sleeve to move them into close frictional engagement with said other member a bushing coupled to said packing ring sleeve, a collar fixed on said other member and engaging said bushing, and means for anchoring said packing ring sleeve to said apertured member in non-rotatable but axial adjustable relation.

2. A stuffing box construction for providing a seal between a rotatable shaft and an aperture-d stationary wall through which the shaft extends, comprising a sealing collar attached to the-shaft and having one face in engagement with said wall, a bushing on said shaft and having one end in frictional engagement with said sealing collar, a packing ring sleeve surrounding said shaft and in abutting relation with the other end of said bushing, packing rings in said sleeve, means for compressing said rings in said sleeve by moving them in an axial direction therein, an adjusting and anchoring screw in said stationary wall engaging said packing ring sleeve and adapted to move said sleeve in an axial direction, and means non-rotatably connecting said bushing to said sleeve whereby said bushing, said packing ring sleeve and said packing rings may be moved axially as a unit to take up wear between the bushing and the collar. 9

3. A packing construction for providing a seal between two relatively rotatable members, ofi'fe of said members being provided with an aperture through which the other member extends, packing rings positioned in the aperture in said one member, said packing rings being provided with circumferential oil grooves and radial connecting passages whereby oil may be supplied between the inner surfaces of said rings and said other member, 'a sleeve surrounding said packing rings, cooperating means on said packing rings and said sleeve whereby when said packing rings are moved within said sleeve said rings are compressed into close frictional engagement with said other member, an adjustable nut on said sleeve for moving said rings into said sleeve, 8. bushing coupled to said packing ring sleeve. a collar fixed on said other member and engaging said bushing, and means for anchoring said packing ring sleeve to said apertured member in nonrotatable but axially adjustable relation.

It eliminates the frequent; shutdowns of equipment for re-packing which the ordinary stuffing replace.

4. A stuffing box construction for providing a seal between a rotatable shaft and an apertured stationary wall through which the shaft extends, comprising a sealing member attached to the shaft and having one face in engagement with said wall, a bushing on said shaft and having one end in frictional engagement with said sealing member, a, packing ring sleeve on said shaft and in abutting relation with the other end of said bushing, packing rings in said sleeve, said rings being provided with circumferential oil grooves and connecting radial passages whereby oil may be supplied between proximate surfaces of said packing rings and said rotatable shaft, means for moving said rings in axial direction in said sleeve to compress said ring, an adjusting and anchoring screw in threaded engagement with said stationary wall and extending into engagement with said packing ring sleevoto move said sleeve in an axial direction, and means for non-rotatably securing said bushing to said sleeve whereby said bushing, said packing ring sleeve and said packmg rings may be moved axially as a unit to take up wear between the bushing and the sealing 5 1997 613 1 member.

CARL J. OAKES.

REFERENCES 0mm UNITED STATES PATENTS Number The following references are of record in the 10 Number file of this patent:

Name Date Farland June 24, 1919 Ellm'auer Apr. 6, 1920 Vroom Apr. 16, 1935 Weinschenker Mar. 10,1936

Weightman et a1. June 30, 1936 FOREIGN. PATENTS Country Date Sweden 1921 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,429,562. October 21, 1947.

CARL J. OAKES It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requu'lng correction as follows: Column 4, line 72, claim 4, for the Word ring read mugs; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 1st day of June, A. D. 1948.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

